Nemo Rangers 1-15 

Carrigaline 0-16

NOEL HORGAN REPORTS

BITTER disappointment for Carrigaline as they bowed out of the county premier senior football championship following an agonising semi-final loss to Nemo Rangers at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday.

Bidding to book a place in Cork football’s showpiece game for the first time in their history, they entered the fray with justifiable optimism on the back of three straight wins over holders St Finbarr’s, Mallow and Douglas in the group stage. 

In a contest that could have gone either way, they came up short primarily because they were out of luck with a couple of chances in a gripping conclusion.

Firstly, a Brian O’Driscoll effort for an equalising point dropped short, and dipped under the crossbar.

Then O’Driscoll fed substitute Callum Barrett, who endured similar frustration when his shot came back off the upright, resulting in a snappy Nemo counter-attack that yielded the insurance score from substitute Dara O’Sullivan deep in stoppage time.

‘We just came out on the wrong side of small margins again,’ commented manager Michael Meaney, mindful of Carrigaline’s elimination last year following a penalty shoot-out in a quarter-final tie with Newcestown, who later ran Nemo to a point in the semi-final.

‘I can’t fault the players, they gave it everything in fairness. Even after Nemo got the goal from a penalty in the closing stages, we came back strongly again when other teams would have died.

‘People questioned us going in because of Nemo’s great tradition, but we came here to win the game, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking to be denied what would have been a historic victory,’ he concluded.

Although Nemo, aided by two-pointers from Mark Cronin and Ross Corkery, started brightly, going 0-4 to 0-1 inside five minutes, Carrigaline quickly settled. A brace of scores from the impressive Eanna Desmond reduced the deficit to the minimum.

While Nemo replied with a two-point conversion from a free by Mark Cronin, who then placed Bryan Hayes for a point that made it 0-7 to 0-3 in the 12th minute, they were unable to consolidate their advantage before the interval.

Playing into a stiff wind, Carrigaline had good cause to feel satisfied with developments in the second quarter when their defence, with Cian Barry manning the pivotal berth to good effect, limited Nemo to just three points.

The lively Jack McCarthy was very much to the fore at midfield, while Eanna Desmond continued to make his presence felt up front as Carrigaline remained well in touch.

McCarthy, taking a return pass from wing-back Kevin Kavanagh, and Desmond, from a free, were both on target before the latter made it 0-7 to 0-6 in the 25th minute following a good move begun by Chris O’Herlihy, who broke up a promising Nemo raid at the other end.

Nemo went four points ahead again when full-forward Ronan Dalton landed one of the best scores of the match in the 28th minute, but Eanna Desmond had the last word before the break for Carrigaline after Kevin Kavanagh and Jack McCarthy combined to create the opening. 

Carrigaline's Kevin O'Reilly is tackled by Nemo's Alan O'Donovan during the McCarthy Insurance Group Premier Senior Football Championship semi-final at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. (Photo: George Hatchell)

Due to resume with the wind behind them, Carrigaline looked in a good position just three points adrift, 0-10 to 0-7, at half time.

Their prospects took on an even rosier hue when they hit the front for the first time, 0-12 to 0-11, courtesy of a Niall Coakley point in the 38th minute.

Brian O’Driscoll, Brian Coakley, with a two-pointer, and Jack McCarthy were Carrigaline’s earlier marksmen as they hit the ground running in the second half.

As the unwavering self-belief that’s the hallmark of every Nemo team surfaced, however, Carrigaline found themselves behind again after the ever-menacing Mark Cronin, who might have goaled with the chance, pointed in the 42nd minute.

It was 0-13 apiece after the excellent Jack McCarthy completed a good move begun deep in defence by midfielder Patrick Mellett, and Carrigaline were back in front with eight minutes of regulation time remaining.

Brian O’Driscoll, much more involved following a subdued opening 30 minutes at centre forward, set Brian Coakley up for the score that nudged Carrigaline ahead at that juncture. 

After the irrepressible Mark Cronin equalised for Nemo, Patrick McCarthy, who played a one-two with Brian O’Driscoll, was off-target with an easy chance for the south-east men, whose hopes suffered a major body-blow in the 57th minute.

They paid the ultimate price for a rash foul on Nemo defender Kevin O’Donovan, who didn’t have what could be described as a clear-cut chance of a goal when he was impeded in the square. 

Mark Cronin did from the resultant penalty, and he duly made the most of it, drilling the ball to the net with conviction.

It’s to Carrigaline’s credit that, with Brian Coakley landing a sublime two-pointer, they pushed Nemo all the way on the run-in. 

They didn’t enjoy the rub of the green when the crunch came, however, so for the second consecutive campaign in premier ranks, the 2024 county senior A championship kingpins were left to reflect ruefully on what-might-have-been.

OUR STAR: As well as finishing with 1-7, Mark Cronin was involved in several other fruitful Nemo raids. 

Scorers - Nemo Rangers: M Cronin 1-7 (1-0 pen, 1 2pt, 1 2ptf, 1f); B Murphy, R Corkery (2pt) 0-2 each; B Hayes, R Dalton, L Horgan, D O’Sullivan 0-1 each. Carrigaline: E Desmond 0-5 (1f); B Coakley 0-5 (2 2pt); J McCarthy 0-3; N Coakley 0-2 (1f); B O’Driscoll 0-1.

Nemo Rangers: MA Martin; S Cronin, M Hill, K Histon; J Horgan, K O’Donovan, C Molloy; A O’Donovan, B Murphy; B Hayes, L Horgan, C Shalloe; M Cronin, R Dalton. B Hayes. Subs: D O’Sullivan for Corkery (41), C Horgan for Hayes (50), C Moore for L Horgan (58).

Carrigaline: R Delaney; B Murphy, Kieran Kavanagh, C O’Herlihy; D Griffin, C Barry, Kevin Kavanagh; P Mellett, J McCarthy; D Greene, B O’Driscoll, E Desmond; N Coakley, B Coakley, K O’Reilly. Subs: F O’Connell for Murphy (46), C Barrett for Greene (46).

Referee: J Ryan (Macroom).